Your growing guest list: how to cut it down

It’s a daunting task that nobody really wants to do, but taking a good hard look at your guest-list is incredibly important – unless you’re happy to have 500+ people at your wedding! Not sure where to even start? We’ve gathered some go-to tips to help you cut that guest-list down…

From the wedding of Belinda + Anthony

Try and divide evenly

Sounds obvious, but this can be a little bit tricky.

Our advice? Compose the guest-list by allotting one-third to the bride’s parents, one-third to the groom’s parents, and one-third to the bride and groom (or another division as needed).

From the wedding of Emily + Nathan

Cut coworkers… unless they’re your friends

It sounds brutal, but trust us on this one. Inviting the people from your office is a very quick way to raise the numbers of your guest-list! To avoid going overboard, only invite those who you’re really close with. Would you actually hang out with these people outside of work? Do you have anything in common other than the daily grind?

As tempting as it is, try and not gush over your wedding details in the office if you’re only inviting a few people from work – who needs those shady looks at the water-cooler?

From the wedding of Kirby + Sean

Don’t return the favour

Again, trust us on this one – you don’t have to invite someone simply because they invited you to their wedding!

Remember, not everyone’s circumstances are the same and you shouldn’t have to go way over budget just to be polite. It’s your day, include the people that you really want to see as you’re twirling on the dance-floor.

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From the wedding of Victoria + Warren

Trim out-of-touch friends

If it takes a week to find their contact information, consider cutting an out-of-touch friend from your guest-list.

Also, if you haven’t talked to this person for over a year (or more!) have a really good think about how important it is to have them at your wedding.

From the wedding of Kristine + Jason

Make it adults-only (if that’s what you want)

It’s not for everyone, but an adults-only event is a quick and clear way to cut down on numbers.

The cut-off age is up to you – most couples choose 16 or 18 years old. We said it before, but we’ll repeat it – it’s your day; you do you!

Planning your special day? Check out our ‘Tips + Advice’ stories here…

Feature image from the wedding of Amanda + Maurice